Franco Morbidelli is hopeful of returning to the grid for this weekend’s French MotoGP at Le Mans, following his high-speed crash in Jerez that left him with a neck contusion and ended his run of consecutive points finishes in 2025.
“I feel better, but I want to see how I feel on the bike,” said the VR46 Ducati rider, who must first pass Thursday’s medical check. “Le Mans is a really important race for us… I like the track and had a nice comeback to seventh last year, so I’m confident.”
Despite missing the Jerez test, Morbidelli remains fourth in the world championship standings but now leads teammate Fabio di Giannantonio by just 21 points. While Morbidelli recovered, Di Giannantonio joined Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez in testing factory-spec GP25 updates and is optimistic for the weekend.
“I think we can already use some of the Jerez test solutions at Le Mans,” said Di Giannantonio. “It’s a fast, historic track with heavy braking. I believe we can fight for something important again this year.”
Ducati has dominated Le Mans in recent years, winning every edition since 2020, with independent riders triumphing in the last three: Bastianini (2022), Bezzecchi (2023), and Jorge Martin (2024).
With Morbidelli’s return in question and Ducati’s form at Le Mans strong, this weekend promises another thriller in front of passionate French fans.
